DOH chief declares Parañaque school ‘mercury-free’

The Department of Health (DOH) declared yesterday the St. Andrew’s School, which reportedly contaminated with mercury following a spill during a science class last February, is now free of the toxic metal and that classes will open as scheduled.

In an official statement issued from Geneva, Health Secretary Francisco Duque, who also chairs the Inter Agency Committee on Environmental Health (IACEH), said that as a result of equipment and technical expertise from the US-Environmental Protection Agency (US-EPA), "St. Andrew’s School is safe again."

The remediation measures, undertaken by the US-EPA as well a sits counterpart from the Philippines, utilized all necessary equipment, materials and construction work to remove all possible mercury and mercury-contaminated materials.

All furnishings and fixtures found to be contaminated, along with porous materials that may have been penetrated, were removed. Likewise, all surfaces in the rooms were washed with mercury decontamination solution to stabilize any remaining contaminants.

All mercury-contaminated materials will be disposed at the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-accredited facility for hazardous wastes.

Duque said the clean-up was accomplished through the joint effort of the IACEH as well as officials of St. Andrew’s School and the local government of Parañaque.

The IACEH recommendation was based on the monitoring done by US-EPA using LUMEX, an analyzer used in detecting areas with elevated mercury levels. Accommodations for the US experts were made possible through the assistance of Rep. Eduardo Zialcita who had worked closely with IACEH after the mercury spill.

Meanwhile, Health Undersecretary Ehtelyn Nieto said the committee has recommended the banning of the use of mercury in all schools nationwide. Initial meetings with Department of Education representatives also covered the development and implementation of a chemical safety management program in all schools.

"This measure will ensure the safety of all students and school personnel from unnecessary exposure to chemical substances," Nieto said.